Jada Ferguson
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The Last Birthday Party I Will Ever Have
I have spent weeks struggling to internally dissect these events. Events I have been burying for nearly 10 years. So how do I unearth a day so excruciating and humiliating. I could not even find a photo of myself from that night. A testament to how deep I embedded that memory. We must venture back into my adolescent mindset to tap into that night. Prepare yourself because it is an unsavory place to visit.
By Jada Ferguson5 years ago in Confessions
The Groundbreaking Part
Friday morning “Please direct your attention to our latest subject. Jessica Johnson, age 29, a computer programmer, who lives alone. It appears that she has been in a romantic comedy vortex for the past couple of days. This sadly is not an isolated incident. Her mother/the person funding this case, Mae Johnson, says that Jessica has been telling her she’s dedicating time to herself” snickered the newest Director of the Should’ve Been Married Already department of Those in Need Inc. “Let’s not laugh, people. I know it is a comical and common excuse, but let’s get back to work. This poor woman is running out of time.”
By Jada Ferguson5 years ago in Confessions
The Vibe To End All Vibes
The goal of meditation is marvelous but securing the result you desire is so strenuous. This is coming from my own personal attempts. There were occasions where I was in tears, muffling cries because I couldn't meditate the way I thought I was supposed to. At times, I fumbled through sun salutations and was unable to silence the negativity. Music has held my hand all along. Alleviating stress so naturally I wasn't conscious that the healing was happening. Music taught me how to meditate. To be in command of my mind and place myself in an environment indicative to tranquility. A lot of these songs are attached to a memory, but the source of their sustainability is the feelings they cultivate. All these recollections and emotions spanning the volume of a Giant Sequoia tree. Towering over me, shielding me, giving me a place to rest my head and my thoughts.
By Jada Ferguson5 years ago in Beat
If The Best Man, Then Friends from College
People love to make grand generalized statements about the higher learning experience. College is a conundrum. It is never internalized the same from generation to generation or from one student to the next. The Best Man and Friends from College are hilarious depictions of people who have met lifelong friends in college and those who should probably distance themselves from their college tribe. It would be easier if these groups of friends named themselves like the Flossy Posse in Girls Trip or the Goonies, or Divas like Will’s mother and aunts in the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Alas, they do not, so you will see the word friend a lot.
By Jada Ferguson5 years ago in Geeks
If One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Then Please Like Me
Please Like Me is an Australian sitcom that depicts mental illness in a respectful, realistic, and honest way. I was having a hard time thinking of what popular movie could be comparable to this show that combines comedy and drama so effortlessly. Then two images or better yet moments went through my mind in slow motion. The scene in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest where Nurse Ratched has the baseball game cut off. To counteract the disappointment of missing the big game, McMurphy rallies his comrades around the turned off television. They pretend like they can still see the game. McMurphy gives a passionate and expressive play-by-play of what he presumes is happening in the game. The rest of the men feed off his electric energy. Their happiness is real. Ratched tried to deny them of a simple pleasure, and they did not allow her. In an environment where there was no space for laughter, self-expression, imagination, or even the slightest amendment of a rule they forged out an instance of real joy for themselves. The opening sequence of Please Like Me is the second moment that I thought of. Each time the show starts with the Clairy Browne & the Bangin’ Rackets “I’ll Be Fine” tune. Josh (the creator and star of the show) is usually dancing to said song while he is cooking, playing with John (the dog), preparing for a meal, or doing other ordinary tasks. We get to see Josh’s pure montages of jubilation. He formulates that feeling for himself, no matter the stress life is spewing at him and there is a plethora of difficulties he is faced with. Josh sings that song, bops his head, cooks gourmet meals, and attempts to will the words of the song into fruition in his life. Two examples of celebration where it is not welcomed, well-received, or expected.
By Jada Ferguson5 years ago in Geeks
WATCH LOVECRAFT COUNTRY...
I was considering just writing WATCH LOVECRAFT COUNTRY... NOW over and over to convey what your television priority should be. The show is that phenomenal that I am almost stumped on how to describe its perfection. I cannot compare it to any one movie or show because I genuinely have never seen anything like it. After the first episode I remember my response, mouth agape being “I am unsure of what I just watched.” My following thought was I will without question be tuning in next week to see where this story goes. The show pulled me in so forcefully and completely that I was rushing my life away to get from Sunday to Sunday. You are fortunate because you can just binge the whole season on HBO Max. Sure you will be emotionally overloaded and out of commission for the next few days, but you will not know the pain of the wait. I will type cautiously as to not let any spoilers seep from my fingers. My purpose is to give you a foundation on which you can be grounded in the substantial substance that Lovecraft Country awards its viewers.
By Jada Ferguson5 years ago in Geeks
South Central
Larenz Tate, Jennifer Lopez, and Clifton Powell were all on one show in 1994. I think it is cool to see people who have become household names, early on in their career. This show happened for Larenz Tate shortly after Menace II Society and The Inkwell. It was the third acting credit for Jennifer Lopez after her role as one of the Fly Girls on In Living Color. Clifton Powell has been in so many classic movies, whether in a major role or a small one. You know Clifton Powell’s face whether you know his name or not. Tina Lifford may not be the most widely known name, but she is an amazing actress. She plays the matriarch in this show and you should currently be enjoying her on Queen Sugar as the matriarch of the Bordelon family. I first came to know her because of my obsession with The Temptations mini-series and her role as Haze (Otis Williams' mother) in it.
By Jada Ferguson5 years ago in Geeks
You'll Never Look at Sea Otters the Same
Everyone has tripped into the rabbit hole of Youtube. Personally, I am prone to jumping face first into the downward spiral of the “Tube.” Most of time I resurface with a new obsession. Sometimes content as inspiring as Galen Hooks freestyle dance roulette, Steezy choreographers challenge, {The And}, The Cut, Jubilee, Ink Master clips, etc. There are the thoroughly amusing videos that keep you up until 3 in the morning such as The Office clips, Graham Norton interviews, compilation videos of fights from varying reality shows, Jerry Springer segments, Chapelle Show skits, and funniest moments from Insecure, On My Block, Oz, etc. Then there are the times you want to cry in the fetal position, while your eyes ache staring at your phone screen watching soldiers returning home surprising their loved ones, old Oprah Winfrey show tear-jerker interviews, and emotional classic scenes from General Hospital, Grey’s Anatomy, Girlfriends, etc. You might discover guilty pleasures you thought would disgust you like ear wax extraction videos and crows removing ticks from wallabies. And there is always the night of new movie trailers, that will entertain you until the sun starts peeking into your room.
By Jada Ferguson5 years ago in Petlife
If Guardians of the Galaxy, Then Farscape
John Crichton (Ben Browder) was my Star-Lord before I knew anything about Guardians of the Galaxy. Farscape is correctly labeled a Sci-fi show but it encompasses all the genres storytelling has to offer. Romance, Drama, Action, Adventure, Suspense, Comedy, Fantasy. It is everything you want in a show and everything you expect from good storytelling. If you are resistant to watching shows with alien creatures, but you are receptive to relatable characters and a compelling narrative, I am telling you Farscape is for you.
By Jada Ferguson5 years ago in Geeks
Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner
Last year, I wanted to transform the afterschool classroom for the kids at my job into an extremely low budget museum, exhibiting people of color they may have never heard of. February was a showcase of Black men and women who deserve more recognition for their impact on the world. For March, I got started on the next exhibit, honoring solely women, predominately women of color. The goal was for the children to get inspiration. To see that their current circumstances do not automatically determine how their lives are going to turn out. To ponder the existence of their own greatness.
By Jada Ferguson5 years ago in FYI
If Django Unchained, Then Underground
Slavery is the gathering of all the heinous actions a human can commit and unleashing them onto another group of humans for centuries. It is the most excruciating period of history to see depicted. From the moment of conception, we begin ingesting the indignity perpetuated onto our enslaved ancestors. It is funneled through our fallopian tubes and it exits with us as we leave our mother’s bodies. The shame does not belong to us though. We were not the savages. Our ancestors were survivors. There was an intentional attempt to warp our ancestor’s minds and to alter every generation afterward. We must exorcise our systems of that. It takes re-examining and re-directing to face trauma. If you are a non-Black person who is reluctant to watch a film or show about enslaved people, I would suggest viewing the stories from a different perspective. On paper slavery ended in 1863 and somewhat more concretely in 1865 but watching films/ shows set in that time should make the damaging stains slavery left on society more prevalent. The hatred and the institutions built on that hatred did not disintegrate with a proclamation or with the South being unable to secede from the North.
By Jada Ferguson5 years ago in Geeks
